Cleaning Tips For Your Healthcare Facility and Equipment, Part 1
Now more than ever, it’s important for healthcare facilities to maintain the cleanliness and integrity of their equipment and space.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 25 U.S. hospital patients is diagnosed with at least one healthcare-associated infection. But the good news is that you can control and prevent the spread of infection in your facility.
What are some ways you can combat the spread of infection in your medical facility?
Here are ways to continually monitor your facility’s equipment for surface integrity and a deep clean that prevents the spread of infection:
- Look for and address rust buildup on equipment.
Metal interacts with its environment and, over time, corrosion takes place in the form of rust – and rust never sleeps. The rust particles can be transferred to other non-rusty instruments and spread even further.
Corrosion could lead to equipment malfunctioning, which may put your patients in danger. Proper cleaning and removal of rust from your medical equipment is critical. Your staff should know the right disinfectant to use, so it doesn’t further exacerbate the problem of corrosion.
At EquipSystems we use light abrasion to remove surface rust from stainless steel items. For rust on painted items, we remove the surface rust and paint the surface with a rust-preventative paint.
- Check for tape residue buildup on equipment.
In a report from the U.S. National Library of Medicine, 74% of specimens of adhesive tape collected after being in close contact with intravascular catheters for extended periods were colonized by pathogenic bacteria. These organisms can contribute to infections.
This is only one example, from one piece of medical equipment. Now, imagine all of the places you use adhesive tape. When cleaning and disinfecting medical equipment, the tape must be cleaned as well.
- Clean the velcro on your medical equipment.
Blood pressure cuffs are frequently used and shared in medical facilities. While they’re listed as a non-critical item for disinfection, research shows they contribute to the spread of MRSA in hospitals.
Velcro on all equipment should be regularly rid of any buildup, washed and disinfected. Wipe Velcro with alcohol once daily (and each time after use by patients with MRSA infection) and wash at seven-day to one month intervals
Call EquipSystems For Help!
Even with these tips at hand, we know in such a busy environment that time is limited, responsibility can slip through the cracks, or there is a lack of processes in place.
EquipSystems is here to help.
With equipment cleaning, disinfecting, minor repairs, results testing and reporting, EquipSystems can help ease the burden. Contact us to learn more about how our services can help you.
